Hospital Boards
The role of the hospital board in overseeing and ensuring the quality and patient safety of care delivery is critical. The board is not simply a passive observer of quality management activities: It must form a collaborative partnership with hospital and medical staff leadership and visibly support the quality objectives of the hospital.
Can Healthcare Boards Really Make a Difference in Quality and Safety? 
Donald R. Carlow, Healthcare Quarterly, 13(1), 2010: 46-54. This article examines why boards need to pay attention to quality and safety, and how fulfilling that role can have a positive impact on outcomes.
Designing Effective Governance for Quality and Safety
Baker G.R. et al., Healthcare Quarterly, 13(1), 2010: 38-45. This article discusses the strategies, tactics and tools through which boards can establish quality and safety goals and stimulate improvements.
From Boardroom to Bedside: How to Define and Measure Hospital Quality
Heenan H. et al., Healthcare Quarterly, 13(1), 2010: 55-60. This article describes how St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s board followed a systematic process to define quality and select a series of “big dot” indicators.
7 Things Your Board Can Do to Improve Quality and Patient Safety 
Bader B.S., O’Malley S., Great Boards, Spring 2006, VI (1). This article looks at how hospital boards and their leadership can become more proactive in improving quality and patient safety. Reprinted with permission from the American Hospital Association’s Great Boards Web site at www.greatboards.org.
Charter on Improving Quality of Patient Care: Can CEOs and Boards Create the Momentum Canada Needs to Realize Performance Gains?
Thornhill J., Healthcare Quarterly, 13(3) 2010: 12-14. This article describes how a CEO and boards can use a “quality charter” to set the course for improvement, and the six key steps in developing a charter are summarized.
Education
Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety Program
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) and Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI). This education program helps healthcare boards understand and implement effective governance practices and processes for quality and patient safety. 
Research Report
Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety in Canadian Healthcare Organizations
Baker G.R. et al. The authors reviewed available literature, interviewed key informants, examined case studies and conducted a survey of healthcare organization board chairs to identify governance practices and ways to improve quality and patient safety.
Video
Seven Leadership Leverage Points
The Flo Collaborative, 2007. Rob Colones discusses the application of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Innovation Series white paper, Seven Leadership Leverage Points for Organization-Level Improvement in Health Care.
IHI Improvement Map – Governance and Improvement
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The IHI Improvement Map is an interactive tool that helps hospital leaders in the United States improve quality outcomes by guiding their improvement efforts.
Leadership for Safety, ‘How to’ guide supplement: Using patient stories with boards
Clarke, J. This Patient Safety First guide outlines the process of selecting and using patient stories in the boardroom.
Quality and Patient Safety Governance Toolkit
Ontario Hospital Association (OHA)’s Governance Centre of Excellence (GCE) and Health Quality Ontario (HQO), 2011. This toolkit comprises a set of practical tools and templates that combines new legislative requirements specific to Ontario hospital governance with leading and emerging practices from Ontario and other jurisdictions.
Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety: A Toolkit for Healthcare Board Members and Senior Leaders
Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI), 2010. This toolkit teaches boards and senior leaders about the tools available to support their quality and safety improvement efforts.
Community for Excellence in Health Governance
Excellent Care for All Act, 2010
The Governance Institute
Institute on Governance (IOG)
Ontario Hospital Association’s Governance Centre of Excellence
